How Artist Gigi Perez Documented Her Pain in 8 Songs
Perez’s debut EP is the story of her heartbreak, grief, and what it’s like to have loved and lost
by Jools Dembo / Cover Photo by Deanie Chen
“Don’t try to catch a falling knife.” It’s a term often used in the financial world. A simple sentence that summarizes the idea that you should not invest in a company when it’s at its lowest, even if there is hope of it going back up. Brooklyn based singer, Gigi Perez is turning the phrase on its head in her new EP, How To Catch a Falling Knife.
“When I viewed this person, I saw it as a risk investment for myself emotionally. But if it worked out, it was gonna be great and I was gonna be rich,” Perez shared on the title of the EP and how it reflects her experience with heartbreak.
Born in New Jersey and growing up in Florida, Perez has been writing songs since she was a teenager. She taught herself how to play multiple instruments, including the guitar and the piano. Now signed to Interscope Records, Perez’s debut EP is a document of grief and heartbreak.
“I took all of the stories and all of the pain. I took the things that exemplify the experience of heartbreak and grief,” she shared. Perez wrote the EP shortly after the passing of her older sister. Each song on the EP represents a different chapter of her life as she dealt with the loss of a loved one, and an intense relationship coming to an end. “[The EP] mostly represents who I am as an artist in the fact of my honesty. I don’t know that I’ll always write heartbreak songs, but it was true… I’m not gonna talk about something that isn’t true.”
The EP is a raw and honest compilation of songs rounded out by Perez’s deep and poetic lyrics sung in her smooth tenor voice, reminiscent of other artists like Lucy Dacus. Songs like “Kill for You” and “Karma” feature percussion that creates the ultimate indie-pop “sad bop” sound. Other songs like “Sally” and “Balsam Fir” are more stripped, leaving Perez’s voice as the center and letting the listener into her pain.
Creating the EP was a full circle experience for Perez, as she got to record in the same studio as Ariana Grande. “When she released that project, Yours Truly, it was the only thing I listened to,” she shared. Record producer Jen Decilveo, who has worked with artists like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, worked with Perez to produce the EP. “[Decilveo] booked the studio for the EP, and it turns out that I’m going to be in the same room that Yours Truly was recorded in,” said Perez. “It was just one of those fate moments.”
The EP, How to Catch a Falling Knife is out now on all streaming platforms. Follow her on Instagram to stay up to date with her latest releases.
